


This Natural Selection Picked Me Out

by charleeluciano



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, I think Mickey would be in year 12, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, hey look guys courtney wrote something that's not heartbreaking, mainly mickey POV but it's a got a little Ian as well, set a little after season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-09
Updated: 2014-11-09
Packaged: 2018-02-24 16:15:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2587838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charleeluciano/pseuds/charleeluciano
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year before you are destined to meet your soulmate, the first words they will speak to you are inked into your skin above your heart like a tattoo. This is how it unfolded...</p><p>(or Mickey's soulmate is going to be the cutest thing ever and Ian's soulmate already hated him)</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Natural Selection Picked Me Out

**Author's Note:**

> Righto so I love soulmate AU's and Shameless doesn't have too many so i'm contributing to that. Hope you all enjoy it.
> 
> Title taken from "Flesh and Bone" by The Killers

To say that he was unaware of Ian Gallagher's presence would be a barefaced lie; no matter how much he wanted that statement to be true.

About a year before, Mandy had gotten all worked up over Ian and tried to jump him but apparently that hadn't worked out for her and the next day Mickey, Iggy, his cousin Rick and their friend Flower were on the redhead's tail, 3 steps behind burying the fucker in a shallow grave. When they were bashing on the door at the Kash'n'Grab, or outside the Gallagher house at night Mickey wasn't thinking about how hot Ian was though. He wasn't really. He was a speckled little ginger twig, nothing special.

Soon after that, Mandy told them to stop and he left it at that, only acknowledging the boy when he stole from his shop or when Mandy brought him home, although that was no more than an "Asshole." In greeting if he was feeling nice. Shortly after he was off to juvie for the first time and when he got out, fuck had that Gallagher gotten hot.

Mandy has arranged to Mickey up from juvie when she had been to visit him a week before his release date. He walked out and expected to see his sister. He didn't expect to see Ian Gallagher with her, and if he wasn't such a hard-ass, he might have gone a little weak in the knees at the sight of the redhead next to Mandy because like... fuck.

He'd become a tall, cut, fit God. Like a walking, talking sex God. Mickey had kept his cool, even asked "The fuck is he doin' here?" They'd walked back to the Milkovich home together, Ian trying to put his arm around Mickey before he pushed him the fuck off.

They arrived home to an empty house, which Mickey didn't mind at all, despite the fact that whenever it was another family member getting out of prison, everyone flipped their shit and threw fucking parties. It was easier for Mickey to just slip back into his room and fall onto his old and hard mattress that felt like heaven compared to the previous 7 months.

He tried so hard not to think of how hot Ian had gotten over the time he'd been in juvie, but when Mickey jerked off that night he might have had flashes of abs and biceps that looked surprisingly like what he imaged Ian's did. He didn't like to think about that.

Mandy kept having Ian around and it became harder and harder for Mickey to not think about her sisters friend, particularly when he saw him a few times a week, and he seemed to just be getting more and more attractive. The guy was probably straight! Mickey was fucked.

No matter how much he wanted to wish Ian Gallagher away, he became a permanent fixture in his life. One that he was sooner or later going to have to deal with - either by fucking him or purposefully pissing him off to the extent where Ian would never talk to him or even look at him again. Fucking him would be the preferred option but pissing him off would be easier in the long run.

So whenever Gallagher came around to their house, he sat in his room debating whether or not to go out and do something to give him the shits, and every time, just before he did, Ian would see him, smile and say hello, or just wave, and then Mickey would fold, nod and shrink back to his room and curse himself for not being able to go through with it.

So yeah. He was painfully aware of Ian Gallagher's presence in this small world, and everything sucked shit.

It sucked shit because he was worried he was falling too hard for Ian when he already had someone out there for him.   
Someone perfect and amazing and really fucking cute if his words were any indication of them.

Across the left side of his chest, in small black ink, like a tattoo, he had inked "Crap! Sorry! Fuck! Sorry!" In a messy scrawled handwriting. Every time he looked at it or thought about his words, his whole body tingled and he felt like he was going to be sick, in a good way of course and he felt feelings that were good, which was why Ian made it so hard for him, because he wanted Ian badly, but he already had someone that fate had picked out for him who he wanted just as badly, maybe even more.

Contrary to popular belief, Mickey Milkovich actually had a soul. And whenever he thought about the person who he was to spend the rest of his life with, well... He very nearly started smiling because fuck, with words like that, the guy gotta be cute.

* * *

 Words are always inked over the left side of the chest, so when Ian's came in when he was 14 and they were "No. Not you."

Anyone could see why he was worried.

Fiona had told him that everything was planned perfectly and that fate would work it out and that Ian was probably reading into it the wrong way anyway.

Lip had been less supportive, he had made quips about Ian and joked about him being alone forever.

_"Dude, with a haircut like that, you can see why he doesn't want you."_

_"You look like a ginger Beiber, do you think that's why your man doesn't want you?"_

_"I promise I’ll invite you over every now and then when you're old and lonely because your soul mate doesn't want you."_

Were among his favourites to use. If ever Fiona heard, she'd smack Lip in the head and tell him to stop being suck a piece of shit and Lip would raise a glass and claim he was "Just fucking with'ya man."

But Ian genuinely was very stressed about the whole ordeal. He spent hours on end throughout the day worrying about why his soul mate didn't want him, and at night he lay awake thinking about how it was going to happen until he passed out in the early hours of the morning. 

* * *

Mickey's words came in at the end of October when he was a few weeks off 17. Mandy grilled him as much as she could before he adamantly refused to say anything more.

Every chance she had, she asked about who he thought it was, or what he wanted her to look like, or when it was going to happen. Sometimes she just asked him to repeat his words to her, despite the fact she had already heard them close to 100 times.

Mandy always complained about how he was so lucky to have his words, and how she couldn't wait to get hers. He thought it was probably good she didn’t, as all her boyfriends had been pathetic excuses to say the least.

But he understood her interest; he was also keen to meet his perfect adorable soul mate. The words always came in 1 year before the meeting, and as October reared it's ugly head, Mickey found himself both excited and dreading meeting who ever it was he was destined to love.

So when he sat for an afternoon detention in the school library, he wasn't thinking that anything special would happen.

* * *

 

4 days earlier Mickey had snuck out of his 3rd period class and ducked behind the sports shed at his school which backed onto a small reserve. It was usually pretty safe to smoke behind the sport shed because no one was ever in the reserve.

He leaned against the old brick of the garage sized building, cigarette in one hand, gracefully inhaling long drags of smoke and blowing them into the cool autumn air.

The smoke twirled up and into the atmosphere and just watching the puffs dissipate was extremely calming.

Just before the cigarette burned out, Mr Graeme, a bitchy commerce teacher made his way around the back of the sport shed.

"Milkovich?"

Mickey cursed, dropped the cigarette and took off, swinging his bag around one shoulder as he did.

He ran fast, his heart in his throat, looking back at the puffing teacher running behind him. He turned a corner on one of the main school buildings and tripped down the stone amphitheatre steps, rolling down and spraining his ankle as he went. His hands were scratched and red, no doubt they would start bleeding in tiny lines soon. He winced as he stood and grabbed his backpack as Mr Graeme trotted down the amphitheatre steps.

"Milkovich!" He screamed.

Mickey wouldn't be able to run on his ankle so he gave in.

"Detention on Friday afternoon! If you're not there I’ll be talking to the principal!"

He trudged off into the main building before Mickey had the chance to argue.

He hobbled off home, stopping by a convenience store on the way and buying a bag of frozen peas, not having the resolve or the stamina to steal it and run if it went badly.

* * *

By Friday morning he had more or less regained his ability to walk properly, the previous 3 days being all too difficult - he straight up skipped school on Tuesday and limped most of Wednesday.

He endured the day of Math, which with woodwork compiled the only 2 things he was any good at, English, History and double commerce in the afternoon.

He considered going home at regular time and skipping his detention but knew that if he did, Terry would have to go to the school and if that happened, he was fucked. If he didn't go he'd be suspended anyway, he'd fucked up too many times this year to get off scott free, plus Terry would never show to a meeting with the principal so it would be even worse.

So when the bell rang at 3, Mickey collected his things and made his way to the library for another hour and a half that he could have been at home if he'd only be more careful.

What was worse was that it was a study detention so he couldn't even get off with drawing shit for the hour and a half, all students had to get their books checked off before they left... If the teacher cared enough. He was hoping so bad that he'd have some old fuck that would bullshit the time as much as he would. He sat at one of the desks and took out his math books and waited for the teacher to show up.

"Right, you all know the rules, no talking, no eating, no sleeping, no phones. You can leave at 4:30 when you show me your work."

Fuck. That.

Mr Graeme walked behind him.

"That includes you, Mr Milkovich."

He opened his textbook and began writing down question numbers.

For the following hour and a half he tried as hard as he could to catch up and study what he'd missed in the days he'd just not gone to school in the previous weeks, but he found it difficult to concentrate. The room was too small suddenly and it was too hard to breathe. He felt like if he opened his mouth he'd puke his guts out.

"Sir?" He mumbled.

"Yes?" Mr Graeme responded from his desk.

"I feel sick." He just managed to get out.

His heart was beating too fast like it might explode and it hurt like the worst heartburn he'd ever had.

Mr Graeme was spurting some bullshit about him just trying to get out of it when he looked up and saw Mickey clutching at his chest, white, if not a little green.

"You can go, Mickey." Mr Graeme just told him, nonchalant.

Mickey nodded, quickly packed up his things and made a beeline to the school bathrooms.

Bile rose in his throat as he made his way to the exit of the library door so he broke into a sprint, worrying he would throw up before he reached the bathroom.

Then he was on the floor, clutching his aching forehead and papers fluttering everywhere.

"Crap! Sorry! Fuck! Sorry!"

He opened his eyes to see Ian Gallagher kneeling in front of him, desperately scuttling to pick up the papers that his collision had made fly everywhere.

All the tension leaked out of Mickey, his stomach settled, his chest freed and his brain was free of every thought but one.

"No. Not you."

Ian looked up, horrified.

"I... Uh... I'll just-" he resumed hurriedly picking up his papers.

"You're... You're... No." Mickey was so dazed and confused. His thoughts were all fleeting and 100 miles an hour.

Ian felt his lip tremble and hot tears were sure to start forming any minute.

"But you're perfect."

Ian's glassy green eyes met Mickey's.

"What?"

Mickey just stared at the vulnerable, scared boy in front of him.

"You're hot and like... Nice and good." Mickey told him, still piecing it together himself. "And I’m like... No it's gotta be wrong." Mickey said, standing up.

"No, Mickey!" Ian got up. "It's right. It has to be,” he told Mickey, still scared and timid.

Mickey just searched his face, looking for something, anything. A smile broke onto the beautiful little doe eyed gingers face.

"Hi," he started.

Mickey hesitated. "Hi."

"So uh... I just gotta staple this," he looked down at the collection of muddled papers in his hands before looking back at Mickey, "... But we could go out for coffee if you wanted?"

To anyone else, Mickey would have said, "Fuck off."

To Ian Gallagher, he shrugged.

"Or like... Maybe pizza?" Ian asked.

"I could go for pizza." Mickey said, breaking a small smile.

"Great, my little sister Debbie is making it tonight. She's really good." Ian told him.

"I just meant we could go order it," Mickey said a little detached.

Ian faltered a bit, realising his error.

"Yeah we could do that too." He suggested, going an adorable shade of pink.

Mickey felt immense guilt very quickly and corrected himself.

"But I’m sure your sisters would be heaps better."

Ian snapped up and grinned.

He looked back at his hands.

"Can you just wait like... Uh... 2 seconds." Before bolting off to the library desk.

Mickey leaned up against the door, a state of euphoria slowly taking over, but also a part of his brain shouting a string of "fuck"s and "shit"s.

Ian bounded back out, picked up his bag and smiled at Mickey, leading him out of the school and towards the Gallagher madhouse.

* * *

 

Fiona was in the kitchen, chopping up fresh-ish pizza toppings when she heard Ian call from the front door.

"Fi! I'm home!" 

She ducked her head out of the kitchen to greet her brother when she saw a dark haired, pale skinned boy shyly following him in.

"Who's this?" She asked with a smile, realising exactly who it was as they got closer, her smile falling completely.

"This is Mickey," Ian told her, smiling a wide smile.

Mickey came to stand close to Ian.

"Hi, Mickey." Fiona greeted with a fake smile she had mastered over the years. Not even her brothers could tell. Sometimes Debbie could, but not often.

"'Ey." He greeted, softly, uncomfortable and out of place in a house where people were nice to each other and greeted each other when they got home.

"You guys hungry?" She asked turning back to her work, "Debs is making pizza."

"Yeah, she was pretty excited." Ian remarked.

After a few more minutes of conversation between Ian and Fiona, with Mickey watching uncomfortably from the sidelines, Ian lead him upstairs to his room, which was thankfully empty.

They sat on his bed, not talking, Ian smiling at the Milkovich boy who had no idea what to do. Then he threaded their fingers together and Mickey looked down at their entwined hands like it was a completely new concept to him.

They sat talking about everything. Everything they didn't know about each other. Music, movies, their whole lives, their families, what they had done, what they wanted to do.

Mickey was blown away by everything Ian wanted to do, having a plan. When he asked Ian what he wanted go do when he was older, Ian gave him a detailed account of everything, when Ian asked Mickey, he simply shrugged, told him "Probably the same as my old man." And that was that.

Fiona called them down for dinner soon after and they slipped downstairs together to see all the Gallagher's around a table together.

They took turns introducing themselves to Mickey while fighting over pizza and shouting over each other.

No one raised the question of how he knew Ian and he was happy with it that way.

* * *

 

Later when he left through the back door, Ian followed him out onto the porch, softly kissed him goodnight and watched until he disappeared under the L and into the inky night.

Mickey walked home through the crisp night at about 10, still feeling the slight wetness on his lips from Ian's kiss. It had only been a few seconds, and their lips had been closed but it had felt like everything. He waited until he had rounded a corner before he finally let himself reach a finger to touch his lips, which illogically seemed to still tingle. He blamed it on the cold temperature; despite the fact it wasn't yet cold enough to tingle.

When he quietly entered up through the "gate" and into the Milkovich home, what he didn't expect to be pushed up against the wall by his little sister.

"Shit head where were you?!" She almost screamed.

"Fuck! Bitch! Let me go!" She loosened her grip and let him slump against the wall.

"Where were you?!" She asked again.

"What? Am I not allowed to go out?!" He tried to get her off his tail, ineffectively.

"Answer the question, asshole!"

"I was just having dinner!" He defended.

Mandy looked confused.

"What do you mean? 'Having dinner'? With who?"

"That ain't any of your business." He mumbled, heading towards his room.

"Oh my god!" Mandy whispered, tugging his arm.

"Is this like... Soul mate stuff?" She asked excitedly, when he didn't reply immediately, she asked "Oh my God! who is it?!"

He smiled a little, and said "Night, Mandy." Before shutting his door and falling onto his bed. He lay awake for a while, thinking about the days events, and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

 


End file.
